934: The Email Advantage: The Marketing Strategy That Gets Stronger Over Time

0:01This episode is supported by What Should I Do With My Money? From Morgan Stanley. Okay, can we just talk about how money is legitimately one of the hardest topics to bring up. Like even when you think you have your stuff together, there's always this really weird awkwardness around it. That's why I am obsessed with this podcast. It actually makes money conversations feel approachable. I recently listened to an episode about affording multiple big life things at once, like a wedding, a house, an IVF, if they were all happening at the same time. And honestly, it hit home. So many people are wondering, can we actually have it all without sacrificing our sanity or our savings?

0:42What I love is that they bring in real experts who help break down these massive costs into actual doable steps. It's like having a money mentor in your ear who gets it. Search for What Should I Do With My Money in your podcast player. We'll also include a link in the show notes. Many thanks to What Should I Do With My Money and Morgan Stanley for their support. Picture this. The year is 2030. Instagram has changed its algorithm probably 17 more times. TikTok might not even exist. Some AI-powered hologram platform is the new shiny object, but you know what hasn't changed? Your email list. That direct line to your people who actually want to hear from you.

1:23Today, I'm giving you everything I know about email marketing, the timeless principles that have built my business, plus the emerging trends that will keep you ahead through 2026 and beyond. This is the episode I'm creating to outlast the rest. So grab your notebook and let's dive in. I'm Jenna Kutcher, and I help you trade hustle for purpose and build a business that gives you the life you actually want to live. From a$300 Craigslist camera to a seven figure business I run from home, I've learned that success isn't just about what you do, it's about how you live. Here, you'll get strategies that work, systems that give you your time back, and steps that turn your effort into results and impact.

2:08If you're ready for clarity, confidence, and a business that feels as good as it looks, you're in the right place. This is the Gold Digger Podcast. So today we're talking about email marketing. And I know, I know, I have talked about email marketing a lot. I'm talking about going all the way back to episode 12 of this very podcast. I talk about email a lot because it's a backbone of kind of everything I've built. But here's the thing. I've never done this type of episode. I'm considering this like a true masterclass, a soup to nuts, start to finish guide covering why email is still working, how to actually start and grow your list.

2:52And what I am sensing are the emerging trends that are going to change everything. I'm also talking about the exact strategies you need to stay ahead. So consider this episode your comprehensive email marketing roadmap, because while I've touched on email in dozens of episodes, I've talked about subject lines here and segmentation there and maybe a welcome sequence over there. I've never actually put all the pieces together in one place until today. So whether you are at zero subscribers wondering if you should and where should you start or if you've got an email list but it feels stale and you're not really sure what to do with it or maybe you're doing well but you want to level up for what's coming, this is your episode.

3:34And fair warning, this might be a little bit longer of an episode because we're going deep. So if you have a notebook, grab it. Maybe your favorite coffee. Let's dive into everything you need to know about email marketing right now. And if you want to see how this actually applies specifically for your business type, like the exact steps based on your industry, your audience, and your goals. I have a free masterclass called From Zero Subscribers to an Engaged Email List of Buyers. You can save your free seat at growanemaillist.com. That's growanemaillist.com. But for now, let's get into it. Let's first just kick off and I want to share my own email awakening because maybe that's what you truly need.

4:14So I will never forget where I was when I first learned about email lists. I was standing right by my kitchen island and I remember this feeling of deflation because I was a girl who had worked so hard to grow her Instagram to 10 ,000 followers. I mean, I felt like I had made it and I had hired my first business coach ever and got on the phone and this was my first phone call with him and I was ready to blow his socks off and tell him about all my followers that I had grown. And I remember when he asked me the question, he said, how big is your list? And I sincerely thought he was talking about my to-do list, which was crazy long, right?

4:54I was running a photography business. I was starting to enter this digital space and turns out he wasn't talking about a to-do list. He was talking about my email list, which didn't exist because I didn't know why I would need one, how it would work for me, what I would send to them. I mean, I had all of the questions that you might be having. And that day was when the reality hit that I had zero way to actually reach my people, right? Like Instagram could change the algorithm tomorrow. If you're on Instagram, you know it changes literally daily. And I could go from feeling like I had this massive audience to the reality that I can't control if and how people will see my posts.

5:35Like if my account gets hacked or shut down, I would lose everything. I was basically building my business in rented space. And so that day I listened to a podcast about email list building and I committed to get serious about my email list and it changed everything because email gave me something social media could never, which is ownership. my email list was an asset that I was growing and I was starting to dive into this world with confidence of like wow I actually own this I can control it I can control the experience that people are going to get and I can control when and how I'm going to touch base with them so let me just share the truth about email that still hold today and will hold 10 years from now because these are the things I didn't understand until that day so first it is your asset it's not a rental.

6:26So if you consider social media to be, let's say like a cocktail party, it is noisy, it is crowded, you are competing for attention in a room that you cannot control. If you picture social media that way, consider email as like a coffee date. It is intimate. It's invited. It's one-on-one. It's this interaction. Now for someone like me, I value rest over hustle. Having a marketing channel that doesn't require me to show up daily or even show my face looks a heck of a lot like freedom. The second thing that I really had to understand is something that I talk about all the time, which is my return on investment, your ROI.

7:05And when it comes to email, the ROI is straight up unmatched. It has been said in the marketing world that for email, email can deliver between$36 to$43 for every dollar spent. That amount of ROI is literally unmatched. A single email can easily, easily, easily outperform weeks of social media posts. And I can tell you story after story of simple Tuesday newsletters that drove more revenue than elaborate Instagram campaigns. Like that is straight up leverage. And as someone who looks at ROI, not only through the lens of money, but also time and energy for me, email, the ROI is unmatched. Third, your customers actually prefer it.

7:50So 90 % of people say they'd rather get brand updates via email than through social media. So think about that. Email sits in the same place that someone is reading messages from their friends and their family. So when you earn that inbox space, you have earned trust. And here's the cool thing. Email marketing is built on this idea of reciprocity. So when you are emailing someone, they have opted in. They have raised their hand and said, I want this. I want to learn more from you. I want to hear from you. That is very different than trying to like scream loud on social media and catch somebody's attention and then not only catch their attention, but convert them.

8:26And so I just love that like your audience is saying, I want this. They're preferring it. And then you're landing in a place with far more intimacy. Fourth, you can have personalization at scale. So you can't customize your Instagram feed for every single follower. That would be crazy, right? But with email, you can do things like you can segment, you can tailor, you can make people feel seen, you can use their name. And that is everything. Like 90 % of marketers say even basic, like super, super basic segmentation can boost your performance. Because again, you're treating people as individuals.

9:01You're not just trying to scream to a mass audience. And then lastly, one of my favorite things is that email marketing is timeless. So email has been around for 40 years. Platforms rise and fall. Like remember MySpace. Does anyone remember Vine, the little six second video clips? But email remains. It is a foundation that so much is built upon. And if I had to choose one marketing channel for the next decade, it would be my email list. Like if somebody said you can choose your Instagram following or your email list, even though my email list is about one third of the size of my Instagram following, I would choose it every single time because it is the thing that drives actual results and creates real connection.

9:44It is a direct line of communication to the people that I want to speak to. And here's what gets me really excited is that email isn't just surviving right now as everything is changing in the space that we're in thanks to AI and just the evolution we're in. It is evolving with the changing times. It's evolving in ways that are going to make it way more powerful for us to build real connection. And that's what we're going to dive into next. So what am I seeing as the future of email? That's what we're diving into next. So let's talk about where email is headed, okay? I'm talking about like trends that are shaping right now and beyond that I think you need to know about.

10:24And I think they're gonna excite you when it comes to email. So trend number one is this, hyper-personalization. So gone are the days where you would just be like, hey everybody, or dear customer. The future of email is that every email can and will feel custom written for the readers. So I'm gonna give you a scenario here and I just want you to picture this. So let's say there are two people on my list. So Sarah signs up for Pinterest tips and Jessica wants help with a podcast. You send one newsletter, but Sarah sees content about Pinterest strategy while Jessica sees podcasting advice. It could be the same email, different experience, but both people feel seen.

11:04Now, the cool thing is, is that maybe you're thinking, oh my gosh, this is so much work. it doesn't have to be more work for you. It's actually more relevance and relevant emails, not only get opened, but they get acted on. And so what's exciting about hyper personalization and the trend that we're seeing happen in email is that you can start super simple. So let's just say you have two segments based on how people join your email list. And then you occasionally customize one section of your email for each group. That small little change can make people feel like you actually understand them. And that's where inbox intimacy really soars.

11:42And it's really, really easy to do. So trend number one, hyper-personalization. Another trend is AI, right? Let's talk about it. AI and automation. It is the elephant in the room. And maybe some of you just tensed up thinking that I am abandoning authenticity and leaning on robots. Here's the truth. AI is a tool, just like your email platform. It is not replacing your voice. It is giving you back your time to be more present, to be more human. Picture Sunday night, your kids are asleep, you are exhausted, and you're already thinking about how you need to write Tuesday's newsletter. The old way maybe would have left you staring at a blank screen for two hours or just like giving up entirely thinking I have nothing to say.

12:23With AI, you could spend 10 minutes brainstorming with ChatGPT to get different angles and to create an outline. Maybe you spend a few minutes adding in your stories and your voice and your heart, like the type of stuff that only you can add. You just bought yourself 90 minutes to rest and be with your family. Like it is amazing when you can co-create with the tools that are at our fingertips. AI can also do things like brainstorm subject lines, create drafts for you, proofread your work, analyze your performance. But here's what it can't do. It can't tell your specific stories. It can't understand your audience's deepest needs and where they come from.

13:01And it also can't build genuine trust. That is where you as the human come in. Let's be real. As business owners, we know a reliable connection isn't optional. I've had my fair share of slow and lagging internet. And let me tell you, nothing kills your groove faster. It is the ultimate productivity killer. You can't process payments. You can't talk to clients and your team feels stuck waiting on you. Back when I started my business, I learned pretty quickly that things only run as smoothly as your connection does. And that's why I love what Spectrum Business is doing. They get it. They know that reliable systems keep your business running, your clients happy, and your stress levels low.

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15:03Fast two day shipping, easy returns. It's literally the only place you need to shop from. That's revolve.com forward slash gold digger to shop my favorites and get 15 % off your first order using the code gold digger. Offer ends December 14th. So happy shopping. Beyond just using AI as a co-creator for your content, there's also automation. So we're talking about like email sequences that can nurture relationships on autopilot. Think through things like welcome sequences that can introduce new subscribers to your world, birthday emails, re-engagement campaigns. These aren't set and forget. They're set up with care once and then they are helping you to continue to maintain and build relationships forever.

15:45So again, so many people think, well, email is going to add more time and more work to my plate. But what would it look like if you could create one email thoughtfully and then let that email do work for you? So we have different sequences that are constantly running in my business. For example, we have a welcome sequence. I used to have the most elaborate welcome sequence on planet earth. It was so complex. I couldn't even touch it because I was scared I would break it within our system, but we crazily simplified my email sequence so that it's about six emails and it's running. And what we do is oftentimes once a quarter, I'll look at it and I'll tweak it.

16:22The tweaks take very little time. It is usually just one hour dedicated to tweaking it. And then it is running. This sequence has reached hundreds of thousands of people. And the cool thing is, is that I am still getting heartfelt replies from people who are joining yesterday. That is automation with heart. That is setting up something once intentionally and letting it work for you. And so one thing to consider maybe trying is like, how could you use ChatGPT to brainstorm 10 subject lines for your next email? You don't have to use them, but just see what happens. Get curious about how AI can help you co-create content that serves at a higher level.

17:01Trend number three that I'm excited about is interactive emails. I've been seeing a lot more of this, and I think we're only going to see more to come. So email isn't just static anymore. It's really becoming this experience, which is really exciting to me. We're seeing polls, quizzes, clickable carousels, even shopping without really leaving the email. And so imagine, let's say you're a health coach. Instead of just telling people about your breakfast ideas, your email has a poll. And it could say, like, what morning type are you? and it could be, you know, fun little answers. Early bird Eddie, slow start Sally or snooze button Sam.

17:35People could click their answer right there, instantly get a personalized recommendation and feel seen, like feel like this is tailored just for them. Interactive emails boost engagement because they're super fun, but they also invite participation and they also invite participation. And the cool thing is, is for you, one great interactive email can generate more connection than dozens of just plain text regular ones. And so if we're looking at quality over quantity, I'm really excited about different interactive features that will allow this to, again, feel like a more customized experience and also give you insight and data into who's on your list.

18:13So if you want to start super simple, one of the things that we love to do is just adding a GIF to make your email dynamic. It can be super fun. It can be funny. It can be something that already exists, or it can be something that you create. or if you're looking to really create that interaction, consider like what is a one question poll that you are sending and you can use clickable links in your email. And again, you get to see all that insight and that data. Or finally, maybe if you want to use say your PS space, you could have a prompt that says reply with A if you wanna learn about topic number one or B if you wanna learn about topic number two and then you actually read and field those responses.

18:52So there are some really fun ways to add some more interaction to your emails. And I think what I love about it most is it takes away this idea that you are, again, shouting to the masses and instead invites in individuality and this opportunity to actually connect with the humans that you are emailing. Trend number four is a little less sexy, but still really important. And I think that the trend that we're seeing is more privacy and permission. in. So I want to highlight a few things under this trend that aren't, again, super sexy or fun, but I think they're super relevant and important. So first, only email people who have opted in.

19:29There are laws about this. You want to make sure that you are a rule follower. And you also just want to make sure that your emails are reaching the people who have said, I want this. I'm signing up for that. You also want to make unsubscribing super easy. I know, I know it's fun to try to make it covert and hard to do, but you want to build trust. Let people know they can opt out. You also don't want to be paying to send emails to people who don't want them. Be transparent about what you'll send. So set expectations. I think it is so helpful when you say, you know, I'm going to be dropping into your inbox once a week or twice a week.

20:02Here's what you can expect. And if you are noticing that people aren't engaging, consider sending them an email that says like, hey, do you still want to hear from me? And if there's no response, let them go with love. You don't want to be emailing people who don't want to receive your emails. Not only does it tank your metrics, but it also just doesn't add any value. And I think that my audience, you are amazing and you want to make more of an impact and add more value. I know that watching things like your numbers go down can feel really scary, but if your numbers are going down because people are opting out and you're giving them that opportunity to do that, that also means the flip side of it is that your engagement rates are going up, right?

20:44And so you want to make sure that you are sending your emails to people who want them, that your emails are landing in inboxes instead of spam or promotion folders, and that the people who stay are your real people. Like we want to go deep and not wide. This really aligns with just how I think about business in general is it's not about being the biggest. It's about being the most meaningful. It's about having the depth and not the width. I don't want a massive list of strangers. I want a true community of people who genuinely find value and who want to be there. And so just note that a smaller engaged list will beat a huge indifferent one every single time.

21:20And I will be here to remind you of that if you ever forget it. Trend number five is what I'm quaining the newsletter renaissance. And I love it. This is like one of my favorite things about what's happening in the email marketing space is that newsletters, I'm talking about like personal handwritten newsletters are having a massive comeback and I am here for it. I think social media has never been more exhausting than it currently is. And there's just so much happening. It's like the algorithms are changing. There's a lot of performance. Like you feel like you have to be on. And so in that, I feel like email is this place where people go when they're craving deeper connection and where creators go when they are wanting to add more context to what they are sharing.

22:05Think of like an email newsletter, almost like a quiet corner of the internet where you have actual, real, heartfelt, intentional conversations. This is where you go deep instead of just trying to stop somebody's scroll. And what I love is that nearly half of marketers are now including newsletters in their strategies, and the data is showing that readers love them. So I, earlier this year, started taking back all of the writing that goes out to my email list. Now I've had a brilliant copywriter on my team for many, many years and I absolutely adore her. But I started finding myself craving that connection and being the creator behind it.

22:43My newsletter every single week is something that I love to send out. It is where I go so much deeper than Instagram. It's where I'm sharing behind the scenes. It's where I'm unpacking different stats. It's where I'm sharing my heart and it's where I'm testing ideas and also just like inviting in two-way conversation. Like I'm talking about building real relationships. Some weeks I'm doing really long and just personal emails that have no links. There is no goal or objective beyond just straight up serving and connecting. Some weeks I'm doing like curated links. Like I'm saying, here are the recent podcast episodes that dropped.

23:18Check out which one strikes your fancy the most. But the thing that I love about it is it's really just leaning on consistency and connection and not perfection. It's letting go of a lot of the past strategies that we were taught about how to write emails that convert and just getting back to the heart of writing content that people actually want to read. And so think of your newsletter almost as a product you're delivering, not just a piece of content that you're sending. And that will help you to make it super valuable. It'll help you to stay more consistent with it. It'll help invite you to be more personal and conversational.

23:54Again, it's a two way street. Now, if you don't have a personal newsletter, my challenge for you would be to start one this month. Have it be a super simple structure, a personal opening, a valuable piece or a story and an invitation to engage further. You don't have to overthink it, but just start the conversation. And I can tell you, writing my newsletter is like one of my all time favorite things. Every time I write one, I make my entire team read it because I just get so excited about sending it. and it just feels like a breath of fresh air in this world and environment that we're in where we're trying to be the loudest or catch people's attention.

24:26It just feels like a full conversation with context and I love it. Okay, the final trend that I am seeing is this omni-channel integration. So email is amazing, but it doesn't have to work alone anymore. And so if you think of your marketing almost like a wheel, I always picture email as the hub. So all of my efforts from the podcast to the blog, to Instagram, to my masterclasses, to YouTube, everything else is just a spoke extending out. And my main goal and objective of all of my efforts on the internet are to grow and serve my email list. So let's say someone subscribes via Pinterest. My email system can know this so that the welcome email references maybe how they found us.

25:16If they don't open it, maybe they see a retargeting ad on Instagram. So thinking through all the different touch points of how somebody can find you and get onto your list. And then also how can we continue to meet those people where they first found us? So let's say maybe they clicked on something, but they didn't buy. Then we could trigger a specific email sequence or maybe a retargeting ad. If they do buy something. Maybe you can automatically tag them as a customer and then they get a different set of emails, right? Now you can get really complex and fancy and maybe this sounds super complex, but most platforms offer super simple integrations.

25:54So my advice here is to start with one, maybe connect your shop to your email list so that purchasers trigger specific delivery emails or link your webinar platform to your registrants so that they're automatically getting reminders. Just look and think through how you can integrate and pick an integration that can save you time or can create a better experience for your email subscribers. The cool thing is, is a lot of these things, you just set it up once and then you can marvel at how it's working for you. Now, again, these trends are not at all about abandoning what makes email great. I think they're about enhancing personalization, trust, and value.